CCAEYC 2018 Keynote Speaker Reflection

I just returned from attending and presenting at the California Association for the Education of Young Children (CAAEYC). These three days were filled with learning, meeting new educators, sharing our love for early education, and spreading our knowledge from AIMS regarding early mathematics through play and spatial activities. On Friday I attended the keynote presentation: Brain Rules, by Dr. John Medina. Dr. Medina delivered a highly energetic presentation that helped us educators understand how the brains of our young learners really work.

Dr. Medina took the audience through the steps of an infant’s brain, how they react to human contact and interaction. He emphasized the importance of infants having a relationship with others and how another person’s voice and their interaction with the infant helps the infant’s brain develop. Through the caregiver connection, the baby learns trust, safety, comfort, self-regulation, and empathy.

Dr. Medina also shared the trials parents go through with their children. He read quotes from some blogs about how hard, tiring, and frustrating it can be to be a parent at certain times. Dr. Medina captivated the audience when reading parenting situations from a blog where parents would vent their frustrations, “My two-year-old child has become the devil overnight. Continues to step on my 9-month old’s fingers and is running around like crazy! What do I do?” Dr. Medina then went through the stages of a child’s brain and how their brain develops with four types of parenting. He shared his own research, as well as other research and studies that have shown how authoritative parenting has the biggest impacts on children. He talked about the how and why behind all the research and how children cope with various situations throughout their lives.

Dr. Medina’s keynote speech was not just beneficial for parents but has the ability to help and guide teachers and educators in helping our students in the classroom. We can now better understand how the children’s brain are formed, work, and how important interactions are with the children. We as educators can instill some of these “parenting skills” in our classroom to guide students to be the very best version of themselves. We have an emotional, social, caring connection with the students and we can help them to understand their own feelings (anger, excitement, confidence, sadness, joy, ect).

Dr. John Medina’s keynote speech was great learning experience and I look forward to researching his work.

One Response to CCAEYC 2018 Keynote Speaker Reflection

About Jaclyn Russell

Jaclyn Russell is a Research Associate for the Early Mathematics Team at the AIMS Center. Jaclyn started her educational career in the Clovis Unified School District in 2010. She was an intervention teacher for grades ranging from Transitional Kindergarten to sixth grade, she taught kindergarten for five years, was the coordinator for the ASES afterschool program and was part of a two-year math camp. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Fresno State, with a concentration in mathematics, holds her Multiple Subject teaching credential, and is currently completing her MA in STEM education at Fresno Pacific University. Jaclyn’s love for learning is fostered by her own children’s love of exploring, creating, and learning through experiences. Jaclyn’s passion is to promote and encourage teachers to create a solid foundation for kids, starting with the early childhood education through research and the desire to help teachers build our future by empowering children to love learning.